Five Facts About Sholom Aleichem*

*the person, not the puppet.

Its hard to imagine what life was like for Jews in America 100 years ago. But, at least we can still read and laugh at their humor and celebrate the 100thyartzeit (commemoration of his death) of their most popular writer, Sholom Aleichem.

With his natural style, humor, and social commentary, Aleichem was dubbed, “the Jewish Mark Twain”.

His Tevye the Milkman stories were the basis for Fiddler on the Roof and there really was a Tevye who was the Aleichem’s family’s milkman in Boyarka, Russia. A Soviet theater troupe visiting Boyarka was so impressed by meeting Tevye, the actors bought him a new cart and dairy equipment.

His life had all the ups and downs of his fictional characters. He endured several family tragedies and survived tuberculosis as well as experiencing both great wealth and financial hardship.

Already a successful writer in Russia, he escaped from the pogroms 1906 and relocated to New York.

He was so beloved by his Lower East SIde community that over 100,000 people lined the streets for his funeral procession. In his will, he stated how he would like to be remembered: “select one of my stories, one of the very merry ones, and recite it in whatever language is most intelligible to you.” “Let my name be recalled with laughter,” he added, “or not at all.”

The Jewish Arts Collaborative invites you to experience the world of Sholom Aleichem in an incredible multi-media puppet show based on Aleichem’s last story, Mottle The Cantor’s Son. Created by Caravan Puppets created just for this celebration, the performance including stories, songs, and surprises, has been named an Editor’s Choice by the Boston Globe. From the kinderleh to the bubbies and zaydies, your entire family will be entertained and enchanted. After the show, there’ll even be a chance to talk with the puppeteers and with members of Sholom Aleichem’s family!

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